LoreGuides
Getting started
From downloading the app to looking at your family’s first memory — here’s everything you need for your first few minutes in Lore.
Download & sign in
Lore is on iPhone. Install it from the App Store, then open it and enter your email address.
There’s no password. Instead, Lore emails you a one-time magic link:
- Enter your email and tap Send magic link.
- Open the email from Lore on the same iPhone.
- Tap the link — it opens Lore and signs you in.
No email arriving? Check spam and promotions folders. The link expires after a while, so if it’s been several minutes, request a fresh one. Open the link on the same device you’re signing in on. Still stuck? Contact us.
Set your name
The first time you sign in, Lore asks for a display name — what your family sees next to memories and comments you add. You can change it later in settings. That’s the whole sign-up; there’s nothing else to fill out.
Create a Family or accept an invite
A Family is a private space where memories live. What happens next depends on how you arrived:
Starting your own Family
If you’re the one setting things up, create a Family and give it a name — “The Buckleys,” “Grandma’s side,” anything that makes sense. You’re now its owner, and you can invite others and start adding memories right away.
Joining a Family you were invited to
If someone invited you, open their invitation email or link on your iPhone and tap to accept — it opens in Lore. If you don’t have the app yet, install it first and sign in with the same email address the invite was sent to; the invitation will be waiting for you.
You can belong to more than one Family — a maternal side, a paternal side, in-laws. Switch between them inside the app, and choose which Family a memory belongs to when you add it.
Invite your people
An archive is better with the whole family in it. From your Family’s settings, send invitations by email. As you invite people, you choose what they can do:
- Viewers can see the archive and enjoy On This Day — perfect for grandparents who just want to look.
- Contributors can add their own photos, recipes, and recordings.
- Editors help curate — reviewing and polishing what’s submitted before it’s published to the family.
You can change someone’s role later, so don’t worry about getting it perfect up front.
Finding your way around
Lore has a few main areas, reachable from the tabs at the bottom:
- Home / On This Day — the daily ritual. One memory surfaces each day to react to and remember together.
- Family — the archive itself: everything your family has added, browsable and searchable.
- People — the relatives in your archive and how they connect.
- Add — the button to contribute a new photo, recipe, or recording.
What’s next
Ready to put something in? Head to Adding memories to learn how photos, recipes, and recordings work — and what Lore does with them after.